Tom Coburn Says 2013 Was ‘One of the Worst Years for the Republic’

In an op-ed in Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, Senator Tom Coburn labeled 2013 as “one of the worst [years] for the republic.” The Oklahoma Republican cites examples such as the issues around the launch of Obamacare and Harry Reid invoking ++the so-called “nuclear option”++ to reform the filibuster in November. However, there are a number of other years that arguably have been just bad for the United States, although none of them were marred by significant changes to the procedural rules of the Senate. Here are few possibilities of years that may be worse and the events that made them so.

1780: British capture Charleston, South Carolina, taking over much of the South while Benedict Arnold defects.

1798: Alien and Sedition Acts passed.

1803: U.S.S. Philadelphia captured by the Barbary Pirates. The ship’s crew is captured and held hostage in Tripoli.

1814: British burn Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812

1857:Dred Scott decision by Supreme Court upholding slavery.

1861-1865: The Civil War (NOTE: All years prior to 1865 also qualify on their own because of slavery)

1871: Great Chicago Fire

1906: San Francisco Earthquake

1920: Palmer Raids

1929: Stock market crashes

1929-1940: Great Depression

1941: Pearl Harbor

1963: Assassination of JFK

1972-1974: Watergate break-in, ensuing cover-up, Nixon resignation

1980: Iran Hostage Crisis

2001: September 11

2005: Hurricane Katrina

2008: Financial crisis and onset of Great recession.